The invention concerns a device and a method for automated dipping of dairy animals teats.
It is known that milking systems can be equipped with a device for bringing a teat of an animal into contact with at least one or more fluids, briefly referred to below as “dipping device”. The fluids are applied by dipping devices to the teats of a milk-producing animal after milking. The fluids are typically disinfectants that are sometimes referred to as dipping agents. Some dipping devices have spray nozzles located on the floor or they are arranged on a robot arm that carries a milking machine. These installations have a relatively high dipping agent consumption, since the dipping agent can be sprayed only in a relatively undefined manner into the area of the teats of the milk-producing animal.
A significant improvement in comparison to the above state of the art is achieved by the generic U.S. Pat. No. 7,401,573 B2. According to the teaching of this patent, the dipping agent is passed into a liner of a teat cup after milking and before removal of the milking machine from the teats, to wet the teats with the dipping agent. After the removal of the milking machine, the teat cups and liners are rinsed with a cleaning agent (which can also be water) to remove any residues of the dipping agent from the teat cups before the next milking process begins.
Regarding an especially advantageous construction of the teat cups, which have at least one or several integrated line(s) for a fluid, such as a dipping agent designed as a disinfectant and/or the cleaning agent, see WO 2006/029797.